A typical appliance repair emergency could be a leak or smoke or even a fire coming from the home appliance.
In the event of an appliance emergency, unplug the appliance immediately and then call ARC Appliance Repair for local appliance repair in Woodland Hills. If there’s an electrical fire from one of the large or small appliances inside your home, we recommend calling the fire department even before you attempt to put out the fire by yourself.
An electrical fire from an appliance is scary and very dangerous, but there are a few steps to be prepared in case of an emergency. If one of your appliances goes up in flames, it is important not to panic. Follow our simple guidelines below to help keep your home safe from electrical fires.
You are able to stop electrical fires from starting by following some basic guidelines for appliance safety in a home. Don’t plug in too many devices into one electrical outlet—the wiring can get overloaded and then spark a fire, especially if there’s debris like clothes or paper close to the electrical outlet.
Sometimes we forget about the dangers of larger home appliances because they remain plugged in all the time, but they still present as much of a fire hazard as smaller appliances like kitchen toasters and space heaters. Large appliances like a washing machine or dishwasher shouldn’t be left running overnight or any time you are away from home, and do not keep a refrigerator or freezer in line of direct sunlight, in order to prevent possibly overworking their cooling systems inside.
Check all of the outlets regularly for extreme heat, burn marks, and buzzing or crackling noises that might point to electrical arcing. Be sure you keep at least one smoke detector on each floor of your home, and test the smoke detectors often to keep them in working order.
If there is an appliance repair emergency such as an electrical fire, it could be tempting to douse the flames with water, however water should not be used on an electrical fire.
Water can conduct electricity, and pouring water on or near a power source could cause a harmful electrical shock. It could even make the fire even worse. Water could conduct the electricity to additional locations of the room, running the chance of igniting other flammable objects nearby.
The first thing you should do is unplug the electric device from the power source and call your local fire department. Even if you think you can put out the fire yourself, it’s important to have backup if the flames do get out of control.
For minor fires, you may be able to pour on baking soda to extinguish the fire. Covering the smoking or burning area with baking soda will sometimes prevent oxygen flow to the flames with minimal risk of electrocution. Baking soda contains sodium bicarbonate, which is the substance in regulation fire extinguishers. You also might be able to smother a smaller fire with a heavy blanket as well, but only if the flames are small enough to not catch the heavy blanket on fire too.
For large electrical fires, you need a Type C fire extinguisher. You should always make sure you own at least one Type C extinguisher in your house. Extinguishers need to be checked consistently to be sure they aren’t expired. If there is a operational fire extinguisher on hand, release the pin near the top, point the nozzle at the fire, and press the handle. If the fire gets too big to fight alone or you think the fire might block an exit, you should leave the house right away, close the door behind you, and then wait for assistance from the local fire department.
For the small appliance fires, call ARC Appliance Repair once the fire is under control and we will diagnose the cause of the fire and repair the appliance and return it to working order.
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